Life Condos, 68 Merton St: A Terraced Boutique Midrise at Davisville

Life Condos at 68 Merton Street is a midrise for buyers who want Davisville without a 40-storey tower. It steps back as it rises, it has about 150 suites rather than 500, and the fee covers heat, cooling and water. The fee is also higher per square foot than its age suggests, and I will explain what I would look at before you sign. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A T-shaped midrise that steps back as it rises

UrbanToronto describes Life as a 13-storey, T-shaped building by Quadrangle Architects, with the driveway on the east side of the main volume and a light well to the west. The building steps back above the fifth level and again on the eighth, tenth and higher floors.

Those step-backs are what give Life its terraces. On the setback floors, some suites get large outdoor spaces rather than a narrow balcony, and those are the suites I would watch for. They are also the suites where waterproofing matters most, which I come back to below.

Sources disagree slightly on the size of the building. Condos.ca lists 13 floors and 149 suites, matching UrbanToronto, while a rental profile lists 14 storeys and 156 units. A mechanical penthouse or a split between residential and other units may explain it; confirm the count on the status certificate.

Suite range: from compact one-bedrooms to large terrace plans

UrbanToronto records suites from about 463 to 1,342 square feet, while the rental profile suggests the largest suites reach about 2,415 square feet. Either way, the range is wider than at most towers nearby, so the building has both entry-level one-bedrooms and plans that suit downsizers.

The original finishes included engineered laminate flooring, porcelain or ceramic tile, granite counters, stainless appliances and five-foot soaker tubs, according to the project listing. That is a standard 2016 package; the design firm in2ition is also credited on the project.

Most of what trades here is one-bedroom and one-plus-den suites in the 500 to 700 square foot range. If you need two full bedrooms, be patient, because in a building of this size those plans come up less often.

What a 150-suite building means for owners

Size changes how a condo feels and how it is run. With roughly 150 suites, the lobby is calm, elevator waits are short and you will recognise your neighbours within a few months. Board elections are also small enough that a handful of engaged owners can make a real difference to how the building is managed.

The flip side is that every major repair is shared by fewer people. A $1 million project split across 150 suites costs each owner far more than the same project in a 600-suite tower. That is why the reserve fund study matters more in a midrise than in a large tower, and why I read the board minutes for any mention of upcoming work.

The rental profile also lists Beanfield fibre as available in the building. If you work from home, confirm the internet options for the suite before you buy, because options vary from building to building.

Merton Street and the Davisville routine

Merton Street is a short east-west street just south of Davisville, lined with midrise condominiums and close to the northern edge of Mount Pleasant Cemetery. For walkers and runners, the cemetery’s paths and the Kay Gardner Beltline trail nearby are the real outdoor amenities.

The Yonge Street shops and restaurants around Davisville are a short walk west. This is a quieter, more settled part of midtown than Yonge and Eglinton, and many buyers choose it for exactly that reason.

Merton has also seen a lot of building over the last two decades, and new projects keep arriving. A midrise like Life is less exposed to a tower going up next door than a building on Yonge itself, but check what has been proposed on neighbouring sites before you buy a suite for its view.

What Life Condos costs, and why the fee needs a look

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $830 per square foot. That is below the newer towers at Yonge and Eglinton and reflects both the location south of Davisville and the age of the building. Keep in mind that a building average blends small one-bedrooms with large terrace suites, so the per-foot figure for the plan you want can sit noticeably above or below it.

At the time of writing there were three active listings asking from $499,000 to $699,000 for one-bedroom and one-plus-den suites between about 500 and 699 square feet. Monthly fees across those listings ranged from about $513 to $794.

Those fees average about $1.22 per square foot, which is high for a ten-year-old building. Part of the explanation is that the fee includes heat, air conditioning and water as well as common elements and insurance, which many newer towers bill separately. Part of it is scale: with about 150 suites, the costs of a concierge and building staff are spread across fewer owners.

The spread in fees between similar-sized suites is also worth noticing. Before you buy, ask whether the fee includes a parking space or locker for the suite you are looking at, and ask for the current budget and any planned fee increase. Then compare the all-in monthly cost, not the fee alone, against a building such as Minto 30 Roe or the newer towers on Merton.

Building specifications

Amenities at Life Condos

The amenities are modest and functional: a concierge, a gym, a party room with a catering kitchen, a boardroom, a lounge and guest suites. There is no pool or large rooftop club, which suits a building of this size and keeps the shared systems simpler to maintain. For most owners here, the concierge and the guest suites get the most use.

Jatin’s honest take on Life Condos

Life Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yonge & Eglinton, Davisville and North Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.